Fear The Living
by lunastars
Summary: Sometimes our lives are outside of our control. Some things are destined to happen in a particular way no matter how much the circumstances change.
1. Days Gone Bye

**Important A/N:**

_I posted this before but I wasn't happy with the chapters that were up so I've decided to repost it._

_This story will follow the events of seasons 1, 2 and 3 as if the zombie apocalypse never happened._

_Some episodes will blend together and others may be left out entirely depending on how much I can use without the ZA. Season 3 will be a lot different considering a lot of it takes place in a prison and involves the Governor's evil plans which would all be really different in the real world._

_If there is anything else you would like to know then feel free to leave it in a review or PM me :)_

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><p><em><em>**Episode: 1x01**

**Days Gone Bye**

Rick's eyes opened up slowly. Bit by bit he began to regain consciousness. The lights around him were blinding, making it harder for his eyes to focus. The voices he heard were distant, growing weaker and weaker until suddenly they were gone. He vaguely recognised them and the strongest, the only one he could pin pint, was Shane's. He blinked repeatedly as he moved his head around. Slowly he was able to focus on the area around him.

His eyes fell on a plain room, everything clean and in perfect order. His head rolled to the side to see a drip. He followed the tube down until he saw the needle going into his arm. He gripped it hard and ripped it out. In his attempt to sit up on the bed he lost his balance and fell onto the floor. He groaned as pain shot through him. His arm wrapped around his middle, across a large area of bandages. He used everything within him to get into a standing position.

"Shane?"

No one answered, there was no one in the room to do so. As best as he could Rick made his way over to the bathroom. He leaned against the wall as he pushed the door open but there was nobody inside. As he looked around the room one last time he noticed the flowers on his bedside table. The petals were beginning to fall off and they looked like they hadn't been watered for a while. He made his way slowly back over to the bed and the table beside it. He leaned against the bed a little as he reached out and fingered the petals softly. A couple of them fell off into his hand. He watched them for a moment before he let them fall onto the floor at his feet.

He gave himself a moment and this time when he walked he didn't stumble or lean on anything solid as much. It hurt to move too much but he felt a lot steadier on his feet than before. When he got to the main door he didn't hesitate in stepping out into the corridor. It was pretty empty. A couple of patients were walking around and some nurses were around a desk area. He glanced around until he saw the signs pointing to the elevator and stairs. He braced himself then began to follow them.

He was at the end of the corridor and about to turn the corner when a voice called back to him. "Mr Grimes!"

He looked back to see a doctor at the other end of the corridor. Rick began to panic suddenly. He remembered being on the job and then something went wrong but what happened then? Where were Carl and Lori? The flowers in his room only continued to make him worry. Neither of them were particularly interested in greenery but Lori would have watered them or replaced them, made sure they looked good for when he woke up. Why hadn't they come? Were they okay?

As quickly as he could he turned the corner. He could see the elevators up ahead and he rushed over to them as best as he could. The pain shot through him the quicker he moved but the doctor kept calling out from behind him and Rick didn't want to be stopped, he _couldn't_ afford to be.

"Please, stop."

Rick could hear the doctor was close as he reached the elevator. He repeatedly pushed the button, willing for it to hurry up and get to his floor. The footsteps behind him got louder and much closer. There was no way he could make the stairs and the elevator wasn't going to come quick enough.

"I'm fine," Rick told the doctor as he got closer.

"You've been in a coma for a little while," the doctor explained, his voice calming but filled with authority. "You can't just get up and walk around like this. You need to give your body some rest."

"How long is a little while?"

"About a month, we were expecting you to still be in it for a little longer but it seems that you were in a bit of a rush."

"I have to go," Rick said as he pushed the button again. "I need to find my wife and son."

"Why don't you come back to your room and we'll talk about it?"

As Rick looked back the doctor motioned for a nurse to come over. "I'm going to look for my family and you're not going to stop me."

The doctor really studied Rick at his angry tone. The nurse was there now but no one said a word. Eventually the doctor sighed and nodded his head.

"Okay, if you let us come with you then we won't stop you."

"Fine," Rick said instantly, knowing he couldn't argue with the doctor.

Finally the elevator dinged and the doors opened up. He stepped inside and waited for the doctor and nurse to get in too before he pushed the button. As the elevator moved Rick took that time to take some deep breaths and steady himself. The pain in his torso was evident and he tried not to focus on it, he needed to focus on finding his family.

The elevator doors opened up again and Rick stepped out. When he glanced back to see if he was still being followed he noticed the nurse was a little further behind pushing a wheel chair now. Rick tried not to think about it as he made his way out of the hospital and across the grounds.

As they walked Rick could hear the doctor and the nurse muttering to each other. Panic started to rise within him. If he looked anything like he felt then it wasn't good. He knew that the doctor would keep trying to stop him so Rick braced himself and then started to run. He wasn't as fast as he would be at full strength but he kept pushing himself. The voices behind him were getting quieter and quieter until suddenly he slammed straight into something solid.

Rick hit the ground hard. He hissed at the pain that shot through him. As he looked up he spotted a man and a young boy who looked to be his son. The man reached down and held out a hand. Rick took it and was pulled up into a standing position.

"Sorry, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Rick nodded vaguely. "I'm okay."

"Mr Grimes, why don't you sit down for a minute?"

He didn't want to but the doctor's words were so inviting. At that moment sitting down seemed like the most appealing thing in the world to him. He looked behind him to see the wheelchair. He sank into it slowly and rested his head in one of his hands. He peaked through the gaps of his fingers to see the doctor talking quietly with the nurse. The latter had a small bag he hadn't noticed before.

"My wife and my son, I don't know where they are. You have to help me," Rick begged the man in front of him.

"Okay." The man glanced at the doctor and nurse and held up a hand to stop them from getting too close. "I'm Morgan and this is my son, Duane. Why don't we take a moment and we'll think something up?"

He wanted to argue but his head was spinning so fast that he was struggling to tell up from down, left from right and even his hands from his feet. Carefully he nodded his head and got a little bit more comfortable in the chair.

"I'm Rick," he said when his head finally did begin to clear.

"You're his doctor?" Morgan asked as he stepped away from Rick for a moment.

"I'm Doctor Shan, and this is Cole, one of the nurses."

"Is he going to be okay for a bit?" Morgan asked as he looked over at Rick.

"For now," Doctor Shan said unsurely. "But he really needs to go back inside the hospital as soon as possible so we can check him over."

Morgan gave Duane a reassuring smile before going back over to Rick. He knelt down beside him so they could talk face to face. "You're sick, man. I need to know where ya want to check for your wife and kid. No good walking around without a plan."

"My home, I want to check my home."

"And then where?" Morgan pushed.

"I can try the station," Rick decided. "Maybe they know something. I'm the Sheriff. I work there so maybe they know something."

"Okay," Morgan said, nodding his head as he thought over Rick's words. "Well now that you have a plan finding them should be a lot easier. When was the last time you saw them?"

"It feels like yesterday." He gave a heavy sigh. "Apparently it's been about a month though."

"Well I'm sure they're fine," Morgan tried to reassure. "And if they're not you're not going to help matters by rushing around. You have to take your time."

Rick tried to let the words wash over him. He would be no good to anybody if he pushed himself too hard, but one thing kept plaguing his mind more. It had been a month since he had last seen anyone. He had been shot and he was struggling to remember the finer details. Anything could have happened in that space of time.

Pushing himself up from the chair Rick made no sudden movements until he was steady on his feet. He didn't move until everyone around him took a step back to give him a bit of space. Once they had Rick braced himself before he started running again. His chest ached even more but he tried to push through it. He dodged a woman on a bike as she rode pass and he just about moved around a woman sitting on the grassy area with her book instead of stepping on her. He was getting further and further away when the pain shot through him. It was like being shot over and over again. He clenched his teeth together and mid run he stumbled. His whole body fell forward and all Rick could do was hit the ground as everything went black.

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><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	2. Guts

**Episode: 1x02**

**Guts**

Rick blinked as his eyes opened up. It was bright enough to tell him that he was still outside. The light around him kept being blocked out as faces came in and out view. He recognised all of them but at the same time they seemed like complete strangers.

"Mr Grimes?"

"Hmm," Rick groaned.

"It's Doctor Shan. Now will you stop running away and start listening to me?"

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck," Rick muttered to himself.

"Well I have some good news," Doctor Shan said as he and the nurse Cole helped Rick to sit up.

"What is it?" Rick asked, his voice ripe with hope.

"Let me check you over and get you back inside, then I'll tell you."

"If it's bad news or not what you want to hear then I'll drive you wherever you want to go," Morgan spoke up before Rick could argue.

Rick still wanted to argue but the pain inside of him was ripping him apart. Reluctantly he nodded his head at them. Doctor Shan, Cole and even Morgan helped to get him on his feet and back over to the wheelchair where he sat down. He placed his head in his hands as he was rolled back into the hospital and up into his room again.

When they got there Rick was helped into bed. He was hooked back up to the machines as Doctor Shan and Cole fussed over him. Morgan and Duane were still there. They stayed at the back of the room, making sure to stay out of the way.

"Well the good news is that your wound was pretty much healed, it's split a little so you'll need a couple of stitches but nothing major."

"Look Doc, I'm sorry," Rick said sincerely. "But if you woke up a month after being shot with no idea where your family is or what really happened then you would do everything you could to get away as well."

"I know," he agreed with a sympathetic smile. "I can sort out your stitches here if you're willing to lie back for me?"

"Sure," Rick agreed. "As long as you give me the good news first."

Doctor Shan motioned to Cole who disappeared from the room. Once he was gone Rick's bed was lowered back. "While you were unconscious, and after I knew you were safe, I phoned the people at reception. I got them to contact your next of kin, your wife. She's fine, Mr Grimes."

"Where is she?" Rick asked, trying is best to lay back and not move.

"She's with your son and your friend."

"Shane?" Rick guessed.

"That's the one." Doctor Shan looked over his shoulder briefly as Cole came back in wheeling a tiny table that had everything needed to stitch Rick up. "Now will you let me treat you?"

"If you call her again and let her know that I'm okay," Rick said sternly. "I can't believe she's okay until I see her. Please."

"I'll go get someone to make sure she's coming in," Morgan said. He grabbed Duane's hand and tugged him out of the room as he gave Rick a reassuring smile.

Doctor Shan helped to untie the gown and move it out of the way. Rick just closed his eyes and listened as they worked on fixing him back up. When the stitches were done and a patch was placed over the top the bed was lifted up. Cole helped Rick to sit up and then fresh bandages were wrapped around him.

As he was being cleaned up Morgan came back inside with Duane. "They've called her again. She's on her way in."

"Is Carl coming with her?" Rick questioned. "My son?"

"I think so," Morgan nodded. "From the sounds of it they'll be here soon."

Rick put his head back and finally let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He rested his head back and gave a soft 'thank you' to Doctor Shan and Cole as they left the room. He shifted in the bed and looked over to where Morgan and Duane still stood.

"I'm sorry if I scared you or your son."

"It was nothing," Morgan told him.

"We're used to it," Duane said, earning a warning look from Morgan.

"Oh?"

Morgan moved over to sit in the chair beside Rick's bed. "My wife." He looked over at Duane who looked unsure for a moment but soon shrugged prompting Morgan to continue on. "She's pretty sick. Sometimes she doesn't even remember who she is or who we are. She spends a lot of her time here. We were on our way to see her actually."

"Jesus." Rick sat up a little straighter. "I'm so sorry. Thank you for everything. You two should go and see her."

"It's okay, we have some extra time," Morgan assured.

"We were a little early," Duane agreed. "We have to make appointments because of her condition."

"We're hoping she can home today," Morgan sighed. "Probably not but we keep pushing the idea so she can be where she belongs."

"I hope it all works out for you." Rick ran a hand over his head and gave them both a reassuring smile. "You're both really good people. Seriously, go and see her. Lori and Carl should be here soon anyway."

"Okay," Morgan said a little reluctantly as he got up off of the chair and moved over to the door. "We'll no doubt see each other again soon."

"Definitely," Rick agreed. "Good luck, I'll see you both soon."

Duane and Morgan both waved goodbye to Rick as they left the room. Rick put his head back but they weren't gone long before the door opened again. Opening his eyes back up he gave them some time to focus before he looked back at the door.

Relief flooded him at the sight before him. Lori and Carl stood just inside the room. Lori had one hand over her mouth as the other rested on Carl's shoulder. Seconds passed before Carl pulled away and ran right towards the bed. Leaning over as best as he could Rick opened his arms and caught Carl in a hug.

"You're awake!" Carl said excitedly.

"I am," Rick agreed, moving away so he could look at Carl again. "It seems I've been sleeping a little too long."

He looked over Carl's head at Lori. She dropped her hand and after a moment more of staring she too ran towards the bed. Rick hugged her close, Carl trapped between the pair of them. Rick had never felt so relieved in his life and he just hugged them closer.

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><p><strong>A Few Days Later…<strong>

To make up for all the hassle he had caused Rick was the perfect patient for the rest of his time in hospital. He spent a couple more nights in until everything evened out and then he was allowed to go home. After he got out he just rested up. The only strenuous thing he did was make a trip to the station where he checked in on everyone. While he was gone Shane was running things. He got Rick up to date on what was going on and what happened when he got shot. Everything flooded back to him. It didn't put him off going back to work but it definitely made him want to make the most of his time off. The first thing on his agenda was to go into Atlanta for some shopping with Lori and Carl.

"We don't have to do this," Lori said as they walked along the streets of Atlanta.

Rick watched Carl who was jogging ahead of them. "We do. I've been out for a month and I need to make up that time."

After a little bit of walking they came across a department store. Rick and Lori looked through the windows. It seemed like a pretty decent place to start their little shopping trip.

"Whoa little man!"

Rick looked over to see Carl jump back in surprise as a pizza delivery guy on a bike swerved around him. The guy on the bike managed to keep steady as he rolled on a bit before stopping. He got off of the bike and leaned it against the lamppost before looking over at Carl with concern.

"Hey kid, you okay?"

"Yeah," Carl said nervously, laughing a little at the situation.

Rick and Lori jogged over. Lori checked on Carl while Rick went to the delivery guy. The latter looked at Rick and smiled nervously. "Sorry man, I was late and I didn't see him."

"You swerved out of the way," Rick said, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

He held his hand out. "I'm Glenn."

Rick shook it. "Rick."

"You folks doing a bit of shopping?"

"Yeah." He looked over his shoulder at the store. "We're from Kings County, we haven't really been into Atlanta for a while."

"Oh," Glenn said with an enthusiastic nod. "There's some great places here." He handed a flyer to Rick from his bag. "It's where I work. We do some amazing pizza if you all get hungry. It's takeaway and eat in."

"I might need to check it out."

Glenn smiled happily and looked back at Lori. "I take a bike because it's too busy for a car or anything faster, but I'm going to be late if I don't go. I'm sorry about your son."

"Carl," Lori said, putting a hand on Carl's shoulder. "I'm Lori, and it's okay."

Glenn nodded at them all before getting back on his bike. He waved at them as he rode off into the busy streets. Rick and Lori chuckled a little before they steered Carl into the store. Before Carl could drag Rick away to find toys, Lori dragged them over to where there were glass cabinets filled with jewellery. Some of the price tags made Rick's stomach tighten and his wallet shrink with fear but he forced himself to smile as Lori scanned the contents.

"Can I see that one?"

Lori looked over curiously to see a blonde woman in a nice suit pointing at a necklace below the glass. The sales woman pulled out a necklace in the shape of a mermaid and laid it on the glass.

"It's beautiful," Lori said before she could stop herself.

"Really? You think so?"

Lori nodded happily. "What's it for?"

"My sister Amy, it's her birthday." She studied the necklace. "She loves mermaids and all those kinds of things."

"Then it'll be perfect," Lori reassured.

"Thank you." The woman gave the sales woman the money then held out her hand to Lori. "I'm Andrea."

"Lori, this is my husband Rick and our son Carl."

"I was so worried about moving here."

"You're new here?" Rick questioned.

"Yeah, I'm a civil rights attorney," she explained. "Amy and I are from Florida but she wanted to move away for college. She decided to come to Atlanta for it and there was a firm here who had a position for me."

"Are you staying in Atlanta?"

"For now, I might move somewhere more rural but we'll see how the city serves."

"Well good luck," Lori said as the sales woman handed Andrea a bag with the necklace in. "I hope Amy likes the necklace."

They all parted ways. Lori, Rick and Carl headed further into the store. They were looking through the clothes as they passed only to hear yelling from across the store. He tried to ignore it but Rick's ears picked up. It was a man yelling. From the sounds of it he was on something and there were more than a few choice words coming out of his mouth.

"Don't," Lori warned.

"I can't just stand here."

"You're not on duty and you're certainly not back at work."

"And you want Carl to listen to that?" Rick asked as a few racial slurs slipped out of the man's mouth.

"Fine, but you call the police," Lori told him. "If you end up back in that hospital I will never forgive you."

Rick kissed her cheek before he made his way across the store. As he passed the jewellery counter he spotted two men. He was able to tell instantly who the one causing trouble was. The man was swaying a little and his voice was a lot louder than it needed to be.

"Call the police," Rick told one of the woman behind the jewellery counter. "Tell them there's a disturbance, the man has been detained but he's still holding up a fuss."

She opened her mouth to question his choice of words but Rick just stepped away. He moved right up to the man who was causing all the hassle.

"Can I help you, Sir?" The man pushed passed him but Rick held his position and stepped back in his way. "My name is Rick and you are?"

"Merle," the man said but he wasn't looking at Rick.

Rick looked behind him. "And you are?"

"T-Dog," the man said, before adding, "Theodore."

"What happened here?"

"I was asking him to keep it down and stop what he was doing," T-Dog explained, motioning to the stock that laid on the floor from where someone had knocked it over. "He didn't and then he started with all the racial slurs and just frankly rude remarks."

Instead of arguing or saying his part Merle charged at T-Dog. Rick just managed to turn and grab Merle before he got too far. He managed to disarm Merle and get him down onto the floor where he held his arms behind his back with enough force to keep him down but not enough to cause any serious harm. Rick took a moment to inhale slowly. His torso was burning but it wasn't enough to show cause for concern.

"Who are you?" Merle growled angrily as he trashed about.

Rick groaned as the pain in his torso intensified a little. He pushed down angrily on Merle and muttered, "Officer Friendly."

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><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	3. Tell It To The Frogs

**Episode: 1x03**

**Tell It To The Frogs**

After the cops showed up at the store Rick went back to find Lori and Carl. They continued on with their day of shopping and it was like the proper reunion they needed. Rick was able to ask Carl all about school and how he was getting on in a comfortable and safe environment. He was also able to catch up on what else was going on from Lori. They shopped, they ate and they just spent time together. It was exactly what the Grimes family needed.

Once their little trip was over with they headed back home again. Carl had been begging to hang out with some friends of his but Lori had said no because of the shopping trip. So on their way back into town they surprised Carl by dropping him off at his friend's house for a few hours. While he was there Rick and Lori dropped by the station.

"I thought today was strictly family only?" Shane asked as he stood up from his desk to greet them as they walked in

"It got very eventful very quickly," Rick explained as he ran a hand through his hair.

Shane opened his mouth to speak just as shouting came through the front doors. They both turned towards the source of the noise and Shane rolled his eyes at the sight. "Daryl Dixon."

"I know that name."

"Yeah, their father was so messed up that he made them look like angels in comparison," Shane sighed as he slouched against his desk making it apparent that he didn't want to deal with this today. "They stuck to themselves most of the time. Not long before you went into your coma their dad went AWOL and we finally started to see them around town more."

That explained to Rick how he knew the name yet couldn't recognise the face but something about what Shane said struck him. "There's two of them?"

"Yeah, he has an older brother Merle, that's probably why he's here," Shane explained, one arm still folded across his chest while the other motioned in Daryl's direction. "The older Dixon is always getting into trouble."

"Yeah, I think we met," Rick said, nodding his head slightly in agreement. "He was causing some trouble in a department store while we were in the city."

"No shit," Shane whistled. "Well, this should be fun."

"Where's my brother?" Daryl demanded as he left the other cops alone and came up to Shane. "I've looked everywhere and this is the only place he could be."

"He isn't here," Shane said in as much of a calming voice as he could muster.

"He's in the city," Rick spoke up. Daryl looked over at him so Rick continued on. "He was causing some trouble in a department store. He was arrested."

"Fuck," Daryl growled. "I take it _you_ have something to do with this then?"

"Pretty much." Rick nodded, not even phased by Daryl's harsh tone. "But if you're nice enough one of these Officers might be so kind as to find out where he is and make sure he's brought back to town."

Daryl grunted at Rick's words so the latter took the opportunity to do some quick work and keep his stamp on the station. He spoke to Lori softly before motioning for Daryl to follow him so that they could make those calls. As the two of them headed over to one of the other officers Shane turned to Lori.

She didn't say anything but she looked back at him. It had been the first time they had talked properly since Rick woke up. There was a lot they needed to talk about but Lori wasn't sure she could handle it.

"So what happens now?" Shane asked her.

"Nothing happens now," Lori hissed. "I have my _husband_ back now."

"So what?" Shane questioned in a harsh whisper.

"It means there is no _us_ anymore," Lori said. "Especially after what you told me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You said that the doctor's gave him a low chance of waking up, you told me that there was no way I was getting him back."

"You could have gone in there and checked for yourself." Shane growled to himself as he ran a hand over his face. "They did say his chances were low."

"You got those answers almost two weeks ago, what did they actually say?"

Shane sighed as he looked over at where Rick was leaning against a desk talking away to Daryl. "They said if he didn't make improvements over the next couple of weeks then we may have to face the fact that he might never wake up. Although he hadn't been in it very long he had lost a lot of blood."

"So he still had a chance?" Lori demanded.

"If I told you the truth we would have never had a chance," Shane explained. "You can't deny that we were already attracted to each other. There was already something there but you were too afraid to do anything with that possibility. I honestly thought that he wasn't going to wake up. It's not like his condition has been smooth sailing."

"That's not the point." She pushed away from the wall and looked at him. "You lied to me. Rick still had a fighting chance and you took that away from me."

Before he could say another word Lori headed over towards Rick. He growled and tried his hardest not to turn and kick the wall behind him. When he struggled to get his anger under check he pushed away from the wall completely and headed outside to get some fresh air.

He paced the side walk outside, concentrating on his breathing in an attempt to calm himself down. Lori meant everything to him and Shane didn't want to lose her. There was that attraction between them and he got on really well with Carl too. It had only been a couple of weeks but everything had gone so well. There was no reason why she shouldn't choose him.

As he continued to pace he didn't feel any better at all. Suddenly he heard noises from across the street. He looked up. Over by one of the shops Shane spotted two people clearly having an altercation. From a closer look Shane realised that it was Carol Peletier and her husband Ed. The latter was gripping his wife's arm too tight and hissing at her as he tried to drag her away.

As Shane looked he saw the outlet for his growing anger. People were starting to notice what was going on between Ed and Carol so Shane made his way over to them. When he got over to them he did the proper thing by telling Ed to let Carol go and demanding he take a step back. Of course Ed didn't listen and Shane was counting on that.

When Ed still didn't move away after the third warning Shane grabbed his wrist and held it so tight that Ed had no other choice but to let go of Carol. As Ed angrily turned towards him Shane waited and as he suspected Ed punched him in the jaw. He rolled his head in response before restraining Ed. He was violent enough to get some of his anger out but not too much that it would cause any legal issues.

As Ed fought to get away from Shane the latter could only feel some satisfaction.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	4. Vatos

_Italics are flashbacks!_

**WARNING: **scenes of violence

1x04

* * *

><p><strong>Vatos<strong>

"Do you miss it?" Andrea questioned.

Amy glanced her way. "Florida? Sometimes."

The two of them were in a boat out in the middle of a lake fishing. They were 12 years apart and had different upbringings but fishing was one thing they had in common, even if one preferred to keep the fish and the other thought it better to let them go. After getting help in the department store Andrea had picked the right choice for Amy's birthday present. The latter loved the necklace and wore it proudly, now they were doing a thing they shared most in common.

They discussed camping for a bit. What they were going to do for the next couple of nights. Naturally the conversation drifted back to fishing and Andrea made comments about how Amy tied her knots. It dawned on them that their dad had taught them two completely different ways to fish.

"Did dad teach you mostly dry lures?" Andrea questioned Amy.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "You?"

She shook her head. "Wet."

Amy looked at her. "You're kidding. But he was always so adamant. I mean, you know dad on the fishing thing."

"Gee, you think?" Andrea scoffed. "I only spent my entire childhood with my ass in a boat. But in my day it was all about getting the hook seated. We were fishing for the dinner table."

"Not us," Amy disagreed. "We always threw them back. Always."

"I guess he changed things up."

"But that'd be like changing his religion or something," Amy argued. "We could always call him up and ask him about it."

"I wouldn't, people change," Andrea shrugged. "We were born 12 years part, it's not his fault."

"That change happens over time but the minute you left it was my ass in that boat and he taught me dry lures from then on."

"Maybe he did it for us," Andrea suggested.

"Well we are different, maybe he noticed," Amy chuckled. "He knew that you needed to catch the fish and I needed to throw them back."

The two of them shared a smile as they grew quiet and started to focus more on their fishing.

* * *

><p>After Daryl's entrance Rick had managed to get some information on Merle. He was being held for questioning but would no doubt be released. He wouldn't be let off scot free but he would be out instead of in prison. Once that had been confirmed Daryl calmed down an awful lot. He apologised to Rick and made it clear that he was only concerned about his brother.<p>

"I know you're not on duty," an officer said to Rick, interrupting his conversation with Daryl. "But we've got an emergency."

"What kind of an emergency?"

"A girl's been attacked," the officer said as he held the phone to his chest. "A group of men ambushed her. She didn't make it and her sister refuses to leave."

"I'm not clear to work," Rick said reluctantly. "But I'll do what I can. Let me get Shane and make sure you write that address down."

* * *

><p><em>Andrea wandered back towards the camp. Amy had gone back earlier to set everything up while Andrea caught a couple more fish. Seen as she was used to keeping them she decided to get it all prepared. She had her equipment and her bag of fish in her arms as she hauled them back to camp. In the distance she could see the fire and hear Amy moving about. It was starting to get dark now. There had been no real sounds from the camp just the noises of Amy setting everything up.<em>

_Suddenly out of nowhere a piercing scream ripped through the air. Andrea dropped everything and took off running towards the camp and the sounds of her sister's screams. As she entered the camp she stopped dead. There were three men. One of them had his arms around Amy. Andrea watched helplessly as her sister stood there bruised and bloody from where she must have fought them off. Andrea screamed at them and came closer, waving a burning stick she grabbed from the fire. The two men picked some of Amy and Andrea's equipment before slowly leaving. They were grinning the whole time. They must have come to raid the camp and steal from them when they came across Amy by herself. The man holding Amy held her tighter. Andrea couldn't make the man out, he was too far away from any light source to see properly._

_Suddenly the man drove his knife into Amy's stomach and when she bent over he brought the knife up to slit her throat. Andrea screamed. She ran forward and caught Amy as the man dropped her and ran into the woods. Sobbing, Andrea held Amy close and did her best to stop her from bleeding out._

* * *

><p>"Andrea?"<p>

She looked up, she knew that voice. Her eyes settled on the man from the department store. He came over to crouch beside her.

"My name is Rick," he told her softly. "We met before."

She just nodded her head and looked away again. She stayed on the ground, holding Amy in her arms. This wasn't supposed to happen. She had a good job and Amy was starting college. They were happy and they were good people, this wasn't supposed to happen.

"They need to take Amy now," Rick said softly.

"No, leave her," Andrea argued angrily. "Please."

"I'm so sorry." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know this is hard but if we want to catch who did this then we need to take Amy. It could help."

"No," Andrea mumbled.

"They'll take good care of her," Rick promised. "No one else will hurt her."

"I was meant to look after her," she said sadly as she brushed Amy's hair aside. "That was the whole point in me coming with her."

Andrea continued to hold Amy for a long time and Rick just sat with her. Over time they managed to coax Andrea away. Rick held her as Amy's body was taken away and the investigators began to examine the area they had been lying in.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	5. Wildfire TS-19

_Sorry the chapter is so short. This is a mixture of episode 5 and 6 from season 1 seen as a lot of it couldn't happen in the real world without the ZA._

1x05 + 1x06

* * *

><p><strong>Wildfire TS-19<strong>

Rick wasn't supposed to go back to work and technically he wasn't officially back, but he felt like he had to do something. Something in him made him feel like he owed it to Andrea to be as involved as he could. He did his best to keep an eye on things without getting too involved. He was slowly making his way back to actual work but medically he was to rest. Shane was backing up Rick's decision though and making sure that he was involved in the investigation and the progress it was making.

"Rick?"

He glanced over his shoulder as Lori came into the station. He looked briefly at what he was doing before he stepped away to face her. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question." She had one hand on her hip and a brow raised in suspicion.

"Look, I need to work this case."

"You've been working it all night," Lori argued. "You missed the Morales' leaving party last night."

He scratched the back of his head. "That was last night?"

"Yes," she agreed with a nod. "And don't make excuses. I reminded you yesterday."

"It slipped my mind," he said, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Did they get off okay?"

She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "Yeah, they got away just fine."

"I really didn't mean to miss it."

Lori smiled at him softly. "I know. I'm just worried about you."

"Why? I'm fit as a fiddle."

He smirked at her as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her once but he made sure to linger. Lori bit her bottom lip as she leaned back a little to look at him. "Enough of that."

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled.

Shane watched as Rick held onto Lori, making her laugh. He watched the way her hand came up and her fingers would press against her lips whenever she tried to suppress a laugh. His blood boiled just watching them. Deep down he knew this wouldn't last. He really didn't expect Rick to pull through, at least not this quickly but that didn't make him feel any better. Watching Lori with Rick felt wrong.

When she finally pulled away from him he continued on with his work and she headed outside, both of them looking over their shoulders to say goodbye. Shane took the opportunity and followed her out. As she passed in front of the alleyway round the side of the building he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into it. She went to scream until she saw who it was. Shane felt somewhat triumphant at the way she watched him, at least until she ripped her hand away.

"What?" she questioned angrily.

"Give me a chance."

"No," she said firmly.

He sighed angrily as he looked over his shoulder to make sure that no one was listening. "I get that he's your husband but I'm the one that's been here this past month."

"Like he had a choice," Lori said in disbelief. She motioned between them. "We were a huge mistake."

"I'm good for you," he argued, his hand finding hers. "And Carl. He really likes me and I've taught him a lot lately."

"He's a kid. He'll like anyone who buys him chocolate."

"It's not like that," Shane said, unable to avoid the sting of her words. "We're different. We've always had that attraction, even before the accident. We weren't even together that long but in that short space of time everything went great. We get on so well."

He tugged her closer then and pressed his lips to hers. At first he thought she was going to respond but then suddenly she was pulling away and then she slapped him. He glared at her angrily but before he could do anything she ripped her hand away and quickly made her way out of the alley way. Shane cursed, knowing he wouldn't catch her, at least not subtly. In a rage he spun around and angrily kicked the brick wall behind him.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	6. Save The Last Cherokee Rose

2x01, 2x02, 2x03 + 2x04

* * *

><p><strong>Save The Last Cherokee Rose<strong>

It was a couple of weeks later when Rick was finally back at work for good. He spent more time than anything in the office doing paper work but he was back nonetheless. As much as he loved spending time with Lori and Carl he was itching to get back to a different kind of routine. He would have been at home longer but he convinced Lori that he wouldn't go straight out. He would take his time and work his way back up until he was ready. He did plan on sticking to that. He was going to rest easy and get used to just being there, but then a call came into the station.

Little Sophia Peletier was missing

* * *

><p>Everyone heard that she had gone missing and search parties had been made. Nothing else seemed to matter. It was Rick's first real job since he went back to work and it was probably the biggest case he had worked on in a long time. A lot of the locals were there helping out but hopes weren't exactly high.<p>

"Come on, sit down."

They were all out on the highway. The investigation had led them here and that was where the search parties formed. Rick glanced over. The one who had spoken was a man name Dale. His wife had died of cancer, that and her acceptance of it had put in a deep depression. In the past year it had been all been up and down, but lately he had gotten better. Rick discovered it was because he had met Andrea. He had known Amy a little too and that helped the pair of them to get on better and help each other out.

Rick recognised the man Dale was talking to. It was T-Dog, the guy from the department store. He had some kind of gash on his arm and it was evident that it hurt. Rick patted Shane on the back and left him to discuss matters with a couple of the search parties.

"Everything okay?" Rick called out as he got closer to Dale and T-Dog.

"Yeah, man," T-Dog said through gritted teeth. "I was looking around and I caught my arm on something sharp."

Rick moved to the nearest cruiser and got the basic first aid box out of the trunk. He opened it up and as Dale held it for Rick who riffled through. He got some stuff to clean the wound and something else to bandage it up. Carefully he cleaned up T-Dog's arm as best as he could then applied bandages to it.

"You'll need to get it seen to properly," Rick told him as he packed up the first aid box. "I'm sorry that I don't have anything for the pain either."

"I can handle it, I want to stay and help," T-Dog assured. "You're the guy from the department store in the city, right?"

Rick nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah, Rick Grimes."

"Thanks, Rick."

He smiled to both T-Dog and Dale before getting up. He was just about to walk away entirely when he spotted Daryl. He wondered if the younger Dixon was there to cause trouble. As he watched Rick moved away a little. Daryl leaned back into his truck momentarily and once he was out again he came over to where T-Dog and Dale were.

"Overheard ya," Daryl explained as he held his hand out.

T-Dog took what was there. He examined the packet to see that they were painkillers. He nodded his head a little at Daryl. "Thanks."

"Everyone still looking?" Daryl asked them, ignoring the thanks.

"You're here to help?" Rick questioned as he moved back over again.

"I want to," Daryl confirmed. "I'm not my brother and I certainly ain't my dad. I want to help."

"I don't have the plans on me but go to one of the officers and they'll let you know where you'll be the best help," Rick informed him.**  
><strong>  
>Daryl glanced between the three men in front of him before heading over to the nearest officer. As the three of them shared a look T-Dog just shrugged and swallowed a couple of the painkillers.<p>

* * *

><p>Daryl managed to convince everyone that his hunting skills could be used to their advantage to track down Sophia. All efforts so far had been dead ends so the more help they had the better. And the help was good. They got more ground covered and they had even more bodies to help out when they came across the Greene family farm.<p>

At first Hershel Greene had been reluctant to open his doors up, but after some convincing from his family the farm became a base for the police to set up. A couple of cop cars stayed up on the highway, but most of the search ran out of the Greene farm.

"Isn't that the guy who came into the station yelling?" Lori questioned Rick as she glanced in Daryl's direction. They had been working out of the Greene farm for a little while now.

"Yeah, that was about his brother," Rick explained. "He's been helping out a lot with this search for Sophia."

"Seems everyone is willing to help," Lori smiled fondly. "And you know I want to keep helping, but I need to get Carl home so he can have something to eat and he'll be going to bed soon."

"Don't worry about it," Rick assured, kissing her cheek softly. "Go take him home. I'll call you if anything comes up."

"Do," she agreed.

Rick messed up Carl's hair and laughed as his son tried to do the same to him. They said their goodbyes and once they were gone Rick focused back on the search teams. The Greene family members were getting as involved as they could. Maggie Greene was working close with Glenn, the pizza boy from Atlanta. Beth Greene was with her boyfriend Jimmy and her elder brother Shawn. Everyone else stayed back at the farm to help there and also because things still needed to be done to keep the farm in working order.

Groups from previous times were also working together. Carol was there of course as well as some familiar faces like T-Dog, Dale, Andrea and more. Their places to search were getting less and less. So far there had been nothing concrete to help them find where Sophia might be. Rick prayed that things would change. The longer they went without new information the less chance Sophia had.

* * *

><p>Lori paced the bathroom, glancing at her watch every few seconds. She was growing impatient and when the required time had passed she snapped up the pregnancy test that sat balanced on the sink. She held it in her hands for a moment, but she didn't dare look at it. She took a deep breath and slowly opened up her hands a little to reveal a tiny little plus sign.<p>

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	7. Chupacabra Secrets

**2x05, 2x06****  
><strong>

**Chupacabra Secrets**

It was a new day but the search still continued on. At first it seemed like they were going to get nowhere yet again, but then Daryl managed to find something. It was the biggest lead they had had since starting the case.

Daryl held out the doll for Carol to see. She just closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her middle as she nodded her head. Tears began to fall as she turned away from the doll. One of the officers took it from Daryl for evidence.

"Where did you find it?" Rick questioned.

"I can show you on the map," Daryl told him as he moved over to where a large map was sprawled out over the bonnet of the nearest cop car. He started to draw a line from where they were on the farm to where he found the doll. "No sign of her, but that's where I found the doll."

"I'll go see what I can do," Rick said as he gathered up the map and patted Daryl's back. "You've been a great help, wouldn't have gotten this far without your help."

Daryl just shrugged awkwardly as Rick went to gather some people up. When he turned around Carol was still there. She was no longer crying, but her cheeks were still wet and her arms were wrapped tightly around herself.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"I ain't done nothing," he muttered, looking down at the ground awkwardly.

"No, you have," she said, taking a step towards him. "Everyone has done so much, but it's your skills that have helped us the most."

"None of us are gonna stop till we find her," Daryl assured. "Well I know I won't at least."

"I'm trying to keep my hopes up, but she's been gone a while now," Carol murmured.

"Where's your husband in all of this?"

Carol bit her lip. Ed was one thing she didn't talk about. If she said the wrong thing about him and it got back to him then she would be punished. It was always best to never mention Ed and if she did then she would only say good things, things she knew would please him.

"He was arrested," she finally told him. "For neglect. He got drunk when he was supposed to drive Sophia. They think she must have gotten scared and started walking."

Daryl ground his teeth together and closed his eyes briefly. "What?"

"Normally I would drive her places," Carol explained. "But Ed didn't want me leaving the house so he said he would do it. He left early to go the bar but he never left it to get her. She wasn't that far away from here at a friend's house. It was rare that Ed let her go to other people's but her friend's dad runs some kind of business that Ed is trying to get in on so he allowed it. She must have lied and said that Ed was waiting for her when he wasn't."

"So then she walked." Daryl angrily kicked the ground. "I hope he rots in that place."

Carol contemplated defending Ed, but then she just nodded her head slightly in agreement.

* * *

><p>Back at the Grime's house Lori was debating on whether or not to keep the baby. She knew there was a chance that the baby could be Shane's. It didn't matter how big or small the chance was it was still there. If she continued on with the pregnancy Shane might say something even if she could play it off as Rick's. She was upstairs in the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed while she thought.<p>

Everything with Sophia had taken its toll so Lori had let Carl go to his friend's house down the street. He had known Sophia from school and Lori could see the affect it was having on him so she let him go in an attempt to cheer him up. She was thankful if she was honest. The decision of what to do was hard enough without having to deal with everything else.

Her decision still hadn't come to her or even a hint of one when the bedroom door opened up. She looked up at Rick as he entered. She went to smile, to put her decision behind her for the meantime but then she caught the look on his face. Rick held the house phone in hand and pushed the button on it.

Lori's breath caught as a message from the doctors played. It was a message to let her know that she could still see the same doctor, but there had been a cancellation and she might be able to get in a little earlier like she had originally wanted.

"I know that doctor," he said as he lowered the phone. "She delivered Carl."

"Rick…"

"I'm going to ignore what she does though and ask you," he said, holding his hand up to stop her. "Why do you have an appointment?"

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, knowing that he already knew.

And he did. He didn't look thrilled either. She could see in his eyes that a small part of him was ecstatic, but the other part was angry.

"Who's the dad?"

She hugged her pillow to her chest. "You."

"Who else could be the dad?" She looked at him. She refused to say right now because she didn't want this to get out of hand, not now, but Rick just nodded his head. "Thanks for confirming it."

"What?" she said softly, startled.

"Shane, right?"

"How did you…?"

"I see the way he watches you and how he is with me now," Rick explained as he came over and sat down on the bed beside her. "Things between us are different, he's changed."

"I didn't think you were going to wake up," she said quietly, silently begging. "That's no excuse, but it's what I thought. I never planned what happened between me and Shane."

"What were you going to do?" he asked, holding the phone up a little to signify what he meant.

"I don't know, I've been trying to figure that out."

"Keep it," Rick murmured. Even if the baby wasn't his, he knew he could never live with himself if he made her go for an abortion. And he knew if she made the decision by herself then it would all lead back to whether she would lose him or not. He knew that to be true by the relief in her eyes. Plus, there was that chance that the baby was his.

"Does that mean you're sticking by me?"

Rick looked at her for a moment like he was contemplating it, but then he nodded. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he took her hand in his.

"It's over, right?" he asked her, although he wasn't sure if that would ever be enough.

"Definitely," she confirmed, closing her eyes as she squeezed his hand.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	8. Pretty Much Dead Already

**2x07****  
><strong>

**Pretty Much Dead Already**

The search for Sophia had been going on for a couple of days now. People were slowly losing hope, but Daryl still continued to look like he promised. It helped his friendship with Carol to blossom and slowly he came out of his shell. During his search he found a Cherokee roses growing near an old shack he thought Sophia might be in. She wasn't, but he still picked a Cherokee rose. He gave it to Carol when he got back to base and told her a little story, hoping to lift her spirits a little.

It cheered everyone up slightly until there was an argument between Shane and Rick over some decisions of how to push the case forward seen as they had no leads so far. Shane wanted to lessen the men on the case so that they could work other jobs as well, but Rick thought otherwise prompting Shane to pop out that Rick hadn't been there for most of the new day.

"I've been busy," Rick spat.

"It's starting to get dark," Shane argued. "Some of us have been out here since the sun came up this morning and others were here all of last night. What the hell was so damn important?"

"I had to take Lori to the doctor's if you must know, then I had to pick my son up," Rick growled, giving just as much as he took.

"What?" Shane asked, all the anger gone.

"Yeah, of course that would get your attention."

"What's wrong with her?"

Rick watched him. He knew it would have to come out sooner or later now that Lori was definitely keeping the baby, but this place was so public, but it didn't seem like Shane was going to back down though so he sighed.

"She's pregnant."

"Wow congrats, man," Glenn said as he held his hand out.

Rick shook it and offered a thankful smile, but he kept his eyes on Shane. "Thanks, we're really happy."

As the congratulations came Rick waited until Shane finally got over his initial shock and also congratulated him. It seemed sincere, but as he walked away Shane knew that it wasn't. It couldn't be okay. He couldn't understand why she kept something like that from him.

Shane found Lori sitting on the front steps of the Greene house. He went right up to her and stood at the bottom of the steps.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" she asked, playing dumb.

"About the baby," he spat.

"It's none of your business," she told him evenly. "It's mine and Rick's."

"Well he's just told everyone."

She sighed and got up from the steps. "What's _really_ bothering you?"

"Is it mine?" he asked her straight, refusing to move out of her way.

"Listen to me and listen good," she warned him as she came further down the steps to stand in front of him. "This baby is Rick's. You don't have to like that but it's true. The idea of you being the father is insane so you get that thought out of your head right now or you'll only cause yourself misery."

Before he could respond Lori managed to slip passed him to go and find Rick. Shane growled angrily as he kicked the bottom step, the thought of getting her as far away from Rick as possible was even stronger now.

* * *

><p>"Go," Lori assured Rick. "Carl and I will wait in the house. Hershel said it was okay."<p>

"Are you sure?"

"Go," she said, pushing him in the direction of the woods. "This is important."

He kissed her once before running towards the trees. They had been looking over the map and found an area that hadn't been checked. It was hard to see, but Shawn Greene pointed it out to them. Its ground was really uneven so people who knew the area generally avoided it if they could. All of the search parties moved to that area seen as none of the other leads seemed to pan out. A couple of cars stayed up on the highway as usual and as well as Lori and Carl the Greene's agreed to keep an eye out at the farm.

They moved through the trees, covering ground quickly but carefully. When they reached the area everyone spread out and went over every inch of it. As they searched a couple of people came across a small but steep incline. Shawn stopped everyone before they stumbled down it. The edge was hidden slightly so it served to be more dangerous than it first looked.

"What have you found?" Rick called to Shawn as he ran over.

It's a hill," Shawn explained. "It's got a steep drop."

As Rick got closer he made everyone step back. Once they were he, Shane and a couple of people stepped towards the edge. As they glanced over it didn't seem like much. The hill was uneven. There were rocks and tree branches sticking out all over. Fallen leaves covered over most of them, hiding everything from sight. They searched with their eyes for a long time before Rick spotted a bundle at the bottom of the hill. The small bundle was tucked under a small over hang at the base of the hill and some of the bundle was covered in fallen leaves.

"There," Rick said, pointing it out.

He and Shane shared a look before making their way down the hill. Back at the top everyone had moved closer and on sight of the small bundle Carol went to run down the hill. Luckily Daryl was able to dart forward and grab her before she could, holding her back before she tumbled off of the edge.

When they got to the bottom Rick started to move leaves out of the way as best as he could to not disturb the scene, but to get to Sophia quickly. As Shane helped they both knew that it was her. With every bit of her that was uncovered they knew and it was only confirmed when the leaves were removed and her little face was revealed.

"Shit," Shane cursed as he turned away.

"I think she's been dead a while," Rick said softly.

"I'll call it in."

* * *

><p>They weren't waiting long before forensics turned up. Sophia was examined briefly on the scene and it was revealed that she must have fallen. Her neck had snapped, killing her instantly, probably before she even hit the ground. Looking up at the hill Rick wasn't surprised. It was hard to see from the top that there were so many dangerous spots on the way down.<p>

When it was revealed to everyone what had happened a wave washed over them. Each of them unable to comprehend what had happened and the fact that despite their best efforts they couldn't get to Sophia in time.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


End file.
